MCC Softball drops pair of games to South Mountain CC

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The McCook Community College softball team lost a pair of games Wednesday to South Mountain Community College, 12-4 and 18-4.

The Cougars were ranked 16^th in the NJCAA preseason Top 25. After falling out of the rankings in February, SMCC has won enough to receive votes for this week's polls and improves to 20-12 on the season.

MCC goes to 11-9 and will wrap up the spring-break trip Thursday with games against Phoenix College (21-3) and ranked co-No. 1 this week in the NJCAA Division II Top 25 poll this week (they are tied with Des Moines Area CC). Last year the Bears won the Division II national championship for the ninth time in school history and the third time in four years. The Bears' nine national titles (all since 2000) lead all NJCAA Division II schools.

For all the up-to-date information on MCC softball this season including, schedules, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at: https://mccookcc.prestosports.com/landing/index

GAME 1 - South Mountain CC 12, McCook CC 4: MCC scored its first run of the game in the third inning on a two-out RBI-double off the bat of Ashland Baca (sophomore, Byers, Colo.).

MCC starting pitcher Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.) went three innings, allowed six hits, four earned runs, walked one and struck out one. Freshman Tyler Mooring (Santa Clara, Utah) came on in the fourth and went one inning allowing six earned runs on four hits and one walk.

A South Mountain error, a walk and a three-run home run by freshman Paige Smith (freshman Perth, Australia) in the fifth inning provided MCC with the final three runs of the five-inning game.

MCC had four hits in the game and committed three errors

GAME 1 - South Mountain CC 12, McCook CC 4: The Cougars came out with five runs in the first, added five more in the second, six runs in the third and finished off with two in the fourth inning. South Mountain pounded out 19 hits off MCC pitchers Anna Wilcox (sophomore, Victoria, British Columbia) and Paige Smith. Wilcox went one inning, Smith three.

MCC loaded the bases with two hit batters and a walk to start off the fourth inning and scored two runs on bases-loaded walks by Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) and Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.).

After a leadoff walk in the fifth, MCC got its only hit of the game from Tyler Mooring and scored the other run on a wild pitch.